The first European artists to depict Aotearoa/New Zealand and its inhabitants, the Maori, were professional artists attached to the earliest voyages of discovery into the Pacific. However, once colonisation had got underway in the 19th century, it was mainly amateurs who depicted New Zealand. Many were surveyors or engineers. Two of the best - William Fox and James Richmond - were politicians. It is amazing to think that with all the time and energy required in the settling and clearing of land, the building of towns, dealing with worsening conflicts with Maori - in short, the whole colonial project - that so much art was produced.

In this topic you can sample a broad range of images from both first contact and colonial phases of New Zealand's history.